


Take My Hand

by reveriemou



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Elementary School, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Child Rey, Childhood, Childhood Memories, College Student Ben, F/M, Felicity inspired, Finn is briefly mentioned, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Han Solo, Growing Up Together, Han Solo is a Good Person, Hux is briefly mentioned, Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son" is mentioned, Mario Kart 64 is mentioned, Mario Kart References, One Shot, Phasma is briefly mentioned, Pining, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Rose is briefly mentioned, Set in the 90s, Snap is briefly mentioned, Teenage Ben, Teenage Rey, Tenderness, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, child Ben, college student rey, reylo romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29443566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reveriemou/pseuds/reveriemou
Summary: When Ben and Rey were nine years old, Rey offered her hand to Ben in friendship, and ever since that day, he regretted not taking it.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 22
Kudos: 129





	Take My Hand

**Author's Note:**

> I hadn't planned on writing this, but the idea came and wouldn’t let me go until it was written out of me. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Thank you to Lania ([AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/disarmed/pseuds/disarmed) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/disarmed_)) for beta-reading my fic so last minute just in time for Valentine’s Day! ❤️
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day 2021, everyone!

It was a nice Autumn morning. The sun was out, basking all in its early rise warmth. There wasn’t a single wispy, fluffy cloud in sight in the vast blue sky. The leafy greens on the trees were halfway through in changing their colors, from a spry green to an afire red. The temperature was mild; not too hot but not too cold either, except for a nice gentle, warm rolling breeze.

At Chandrila Elementary, chaotic chatter filled the air with bouts of salutations, general shouting, and laughter. The kids were half-excited and half-dreading the first day back to school of the new academic year. Happy to see their friends again, but dreading the homework and studying that would follow. They already missed waking up later in the morning and lazing about in front of the TV all day, or being on vacation. The parents all greeted one another, asking boring grown-up questions like how their summer was, where did they go and what did they do, and the latest achievements their kids had.

Ben Solo was nine-years-old and starting fourth grade.

He was born and raised in Hanna, Chandrila as like most of his classmates. It was a small, quaint town where everyone knew everyone—their history, business, affairs, and the like. It was the kind of little cozy township where no one locked their doors and everyone greeted one another walking down the street. There was absolutely no privacy whatsoever. Everyone was so intimate with one another that they were practically family, which often was fodder for causing some rifts that could stem back past and forward future generations.

New faces were rare here. When someone new moved in, that person would be the buzz of Chandrila for months. Who were they? What did they do? Where did they come from? What were they like? Why Chandrila? And also, most importantly, were they single? They were so much of the town’s interest that even their local paper would interview them as the latest headline.

_Extra! Extra! Read all about [insert name]!_

So when Ben heard from his mom, Leia Organa-Solo, the first female mayor of the burgh (which was quite controversial for its time, having had only men in office since Chandrila was first founded), that a new family was moving in, it piqued his interest. They hadn’t had a new face in a few years. It was starting to get dull.

The Niimas.

There wasn’t much known about them, other than it was a three-membered family and that they were moving to Hanna from Jakku, another tiny blip on the map; it was known for its dry sandy desert environment, very different from Chandrila’s rolling greenery and calm waters. Occupations and the third member’s gender and age unknown.

Ben wondered if they had a son with them. He preferred if they had one around his age.

It wasn’t that Ben didn’t have any friends. He had Hux and Phasma, and had known them his entire life, but it was hard being the son of the mayor. It meant that he was invited to all social functions, such as birthdays, so parents could smooze with his mom, and he was often left out of mischievous activities out of fear that he would rat his classmates out. Ben would never—he was not a tattle-teller—but as the son of the mayor, who knew?

He liked Hux and Phasma enough, since they were in similar positions and they understood his feelings on being ostracized. Hux’s father was an army general, who was often away, and subsequently his god-fearing mother practically raised him as a single parent. Phasma was the daughter of the Chandrila Police chief and Chandrila Elementry’s librarian. No one wanted to hang out with them, so naturally, they bonded together.

But after nine years together, they knew everything there was to know about each other, hung out practically every few days (even during the summer), and that sometimes left things a little boring. There was no variety and everything was a monotonous humdrum of life.

On that early September morning, Ben shuffled out of his dad’s truck, the cherished Millenium Falcon as his father dubbed it, and readjusted his teal Jansport backpack straps on his shoulders. There wasn’t much in it, save for a notebook, a few pens and pencils, a water bottle, and his lunch—a peanut butter and banana sandwich, apple slices and baby carrots, paradise punch go-gurt, and fruit gushers.

His dad was busy bobbing his head to “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas playing on the local rock radio station. His fingers tapped away on the steering wheel to the beat of the song like it was a drum set. His worn leather jacket was starting to show some areas of graying that matched the bits of white peppering his dad’s auburn hair.

Ben rolled his eyes. His dad never grew up, still as rambunctious as he had been in his youth, and what adults would categorize as a ‘hot mess,’ but that’s what had attracted his mom to his dad when they were younger. She called it endearing in comparison to her more orderly ways. It was a cute love story; the mayor and the mechanic. (Gag, in Ben’s opinion.) They had been in love since they were teens, as the Chandrila’s good girl and resident bad boy, respectively. Their relationship continued even in college—well, Leia was in college and Han decided to forego higher education and started working at the local car repair shop. She was an activist through and through, and he kept her out of trouble (or at least safe when the authorities came blazing in). Envied by all the single women and married wives, their never-ending support of each other no matter what was legendary, especially when Leia decided to run for mayor. Han made pin buttons that said “Vote for Leia Organa-Solo” in his garage and passed them out to anyone who would take it. He proudly wore a similar button that said, “Vote for my Princess!”

Ben watched as his dad leaned over to talk to him out of the passenger window. “I’ll be right here when you’re out, okay, buddy?” he said, his head still shaking to the melody.

Ben scowled. “Alright! Would you—would you just get out of here? You’re embarrassing me!” 

“What? You mean, the music? Son, this is _classic_ ,” Han retorted, twisting the volume dial so the song blared out the car. He pointed at Ben with his index finger and dramatically sang, “Carry on my wayward son! There’ll be peace when you’re done!”

Ben sneered as he walked away, faintly hearing his dad still singing at him, “Don’t you cry, don’t you cry no more!” It was so humiliating. He didn’t want to start the new school year like this, even if everyone already knew who he was. A few seconds later, he heard his dad’s car sputter away and he let out a long sigh in relief.

“Hey, Ben!” Phasma called out from across the school lawn, waving at him. She skipped across the green patch of grass until she was with Ben on the concrete pathway. Hux trailed behind her with his dark forest green Starter bookbag in his hands.

“Hey, guys,” Ben said. He had seen them a few days ago when they went over to Hux’s house to play the latest game, Super Mario Kart 64, on the Nintendo 64 console. Phasma had repeatedly beat them with Yoshi and her constant banana peels.

Ben observed Phasma’s outfit. “Nice… dress?” he offered. Phasma was wearing a violet mock-turtleneck long-sleeve shirt with a denim dress that had two tiers on the bottom, rainbow-striped crew socks that were rolled down once towards the ankle, and white sneakers.

Phasma scrunched her face and pulled down the bottom of her dress more. “I knowwww! My mom made me wear this since it was the first day of school.”

Hux snickered. “You look ridiculous. I almost didn’t recognize you since you’re always wearing tracksuits.”

Phasma rolled her eyes. “You’re so lucky you can wear whatever you want,” she said, motioning to their clothing. Hux was wearing a black t-shirt underneath a windbreaker that matched the green of his backpack at the top and black on the bottom with purple sleeves, and black joggers. Ben himself was wearing a red-and-black striped sweater and faded blue jeans.

The school bus hissed in the distance.

The gassy exhaust fumes blanketed over the smell of the autumn season. Its engines rumbled and clunked loudly as the doors squealed open to let out its gaggle of kiddie passengers. One by one, they filed out before dispersing like shrapnel, off to find their friends before entering the school.

“Did you hear?” Hux said, gesturing his chin at the garishly yellow vehicle. “The new kid is on that bus.”

“Really?” Ben scanned each kid that exited. “Where did you hear that?”

“From me,” Phasma spoke up. “Stop taking credit, Hux. She lives on the edge of town. She’s on the same bus route as Finn. Same grade as us too.”

Ah, Finn Storm. He lived on the farther edge of Chandrila by the river with his grandmother. Friendly and a bit goofy; it was known that he was a big fan of the X-Files, often wearing a bunch of alien-themed shirts and quoted the show's tagline constantly even though it made no sense to the topic. A teacher would ask, "Can anyone tell me what's 360 divided by 9?" and Finn would respond with, "The truth is out there." He was also an extremely fast runner, having beat all the kids in their grade level during gym and school yard racing battles.

Ben frowned. “She?”

Hux shrugged. “Boringggggggg! We don’t need more girls.”

Phasma gave him a light shove. “Excuse me. I’m a girl.”

The red-headed boy squinted at her and feigned confusion. “You are? Since when?”

“Oh!” Phasma shouted in anger. “You’re gonna get yours!”

Hux took off running and laughing with Phasma chasing after him with her fist in the air, threatening to beat him to a pulp. Ben laughed; as repetitive as their company could be, they were good friends and very entertaining to be around. As soon as they disappeared behind the school double-doors, he shifted his attention back to the bus.

_Nope. Nope. Not her._

_Nope. Nope._

_Ah, there’s Snap with another stupid bowl haircut his mom gave him._

_Nope. Nope._

_Wait... Is that her?_

A petite brown-haired girl jumped off the final bus step, landing on the soles of her lilac Skechers platform sneakers with a heavy thud. Her hair was gathered up into three tiny messy buns, using bright neon green hair ties, resting on the side of her head. Her clothes were somewhat faded and well-worn, but within style—a tie-dye t-shirt coupled with overalls (one strap down), denim jacket with a smiley face patch on one of the pockets, and pink socks rolled down once with a bit of ruffle around its trim.

She was… Ben didn’t know how to describe her really. She was small and very skinny. She had freckles spread across her face, from her cheek across her nose to the other cheek, like stars on the Milky Way. As he studied her, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was cute looking. Or at least what a nine-year-old would consider cute, like a kitten or baby bird.

He watched as she walked away from the curb and towards the school, passing right by him. She was much shorter than he was, barely even reaching his collarbone. _Is she really in the same grade as me?_

In slow motion, he watched as she stepped on the loose shoelaces of her left shoe and tumbled to the ground with a small yelp erupting from her lips, like a puppy finding its voice for the first time.

Ben was moving towards her before he realized it. He stood in front of her with his hands out. She looked up at his hands and then at him, her eyes wide and her lips parted. Brushing her palms across her overalls to clean off the tiny pebbles and dirt from the concrete floor, she slipped her hands in his.

She felt… very warm. The top of her hands were soft, but her palms felt a little rough, like she had spent a lot of time outside playing on monkey bars or throwing a ball. He braced himself and helped her onto her feet.

“Thank you,” she breathed out. Her flushed cheeks puffed up as she smiled at him.

_Oh._

He blinked at her. She was interesting, to say the least… She was gap-toothed due to the missing canine teeth on either side. Her pink lips stretched thin across her face. She beamed at him like the autumn sun, warm and bright, with her rosy cheeks. Her smile was infectious as his own lips curved up in return. Her whole face lit up with such cuteness that it mesmerized him. No one could be _that_ cute. His face suddenly felt warm.

“That’s so embarrassing,” she said quietly, as if telling him a secret.

“I’m—” he began to say, before noticing that her laces were still undone. He bent down so quickly that the girl reached out to grab him, thinking he fell, only to grasp the air above his head. “I’m sure no one saw you,” he continued, noting that most of the kids were inside the school now. He faintly recalled hearing the bell right before she fell.

He grabbed the loose laces and began to tie them. He wasn’t sure what compelled him to do her laces for her, but he didn’t want her to trip and get hurt again.

“Over, under, pull it tight,” he softly sang to himself. “Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through.”

As soon as he was finished, he paused, not realizing what he had just sung. It was a habit whenever he did up his own shoes, a habit he hadn’t broken out of yet. Mortified, his face felt like it was on fire now. He looked up, expecting her to poke fun at him, but she still had that same pleasant smile.

“Thank you!” She lifted her foot a few inches off the ground, giving it a wiggle, to examine the laces. They looked different from her other shoelaces, which were knotted together in an offset overhand bend.

 _Oh, that’s strange_ , he thought; he’d never seen laces tied that way before.

“Your knot is so pretty," she gushed. “I like that song too.”

He blushed. _Does she not know how to tie her shoelaces?_

"Want to be friends?” she asked, extending her hand out much like he had done earlier to her.

He glanced at her outstretched hand.

Something from deep inside him screamed for him to take her hand, to say yes. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to be friends with her; he barely even knew her. Maybe it was because she was new and he was oh so _bored_ by everything. Maybe it was because she hadn’t made fun of his shoe-lacing song. Maybe it was because she looked adorable and kind. Maybe it was because she didn’t know who he was yet.

No matter where the desire came from, the answer remained the same.

Yes.

Yes.

He wanted to say yes. He wanted to take it.

His hand moved up from his side and reached for hers, but stopped short when a voice called out.

“Hey!” The body of the voice emerged barely a second later. It was Rose Tico. Ben never associated much with Rose—other than once in science class for a quick group lab session. She was smart and very bubbly, and owned too much Lisa Frank. She had it all: Lisa Frank binder, notebooks, pencil case, stickers, t-shirts, and more. “Are you the new girl?”

Rey nodded. “I’m Rey!”

 _Rey_ , Ben thought. It was a fitting name for her.

“Oooo, cool! I was assigned to be your school-buddy today.” Rose exclaimed. “Let’s be friends!”

Rey barely got a verbal answer out, her smile being her answer, before Rose grabbed her hand and led her towards the school. “Come on, I’ll show you around!”

Ben blinked. He was still crouched down. He twisted his head and watched as Rey disappeared into the school, but not before seeing her turn to take a final look at him, still smiling.

She was there, and then suddenly, she was gone. Like it never even happened.

Like cake at a children’s birthday party. Like the subtle whiff of a sweet flower in the wind.

He stood up and stared down at his hand. He was _so_ close to taking her hand. If only Rose hadn’t interrupted, who knows what would have happened? Maybe they would have been walking into the school together. He would’ve introduced her to Hux and Phasma. Maybe after school, they could go over to Hux’s to play video games and she could be Princess Peach on the racetrack. Maybe she would have beaten Phasma.

With a frown and an empty feeling, he sighed and made his way into the school.

🖐️

Years had passed and Chandrilla had remained much the same, minus the tiny terror that was the Y2K bug, which involved families stocking up on all kinds of goods in case the country plunged into darkness, all because technology couldn’t read the double zeros as the year 2000 instead of 1900.

A few new families moved in after the Niimas did, which quickly overshadowed their entrance to the tiny burgh, having been replaced with the latest gossip. All in all, everyone still remained cordial and friendly.

His mother had served a four-year term in office when he was nine, and after many years had passed, when Ben turned seventeen, she ran again, unhappy with the current mayor in place. (Though, Ben figured it was because the mayor seemed to have it out for Han, not liking his rogue-ish mannerisms and his lackadaisical participation in township matters, and Leia not willing to let someone other than herself bully her husband.) She won, of course; the town loved her and the years that she had run before. His dad now owned, and still worked at, the car shop. He still blasted music from his youth, but now it was at a much higher volume; old age was starting to catch up with his dad’s hearing.

Ben was eighteen years old and finally graduating high school.

It was June, well into the summer season, which meant everyone sweltered under the sun. No amount of iced lemonade and ice cream could stand a chance against the heat. Flowers had already bloomed to the fullest and insects were at the height of their feeding frenzy.

Ben made his way through the crowd of his screaming but excited classmates, all thrilled to have just graduated. Their graduation gowns were unzippered to reveal what they wore underneath to the ceremony. Some still wore their caps, with the tassel on the other side to indicate they graduated, and some had it tucked under their arms. Parents were glued to their cameras, clicking away as much as the camera film allowed them (they had spares, of course). Conversations of where the kids were going to college littered the field.

His parents were somewhere here, cordially conversing with Phasma’s parents. His mom would have to eventually make the rounds, as many of the parents wanted their kids to get a picture with the mayor. Ben hated the spotlight that was always shone onto his mom, and by extension, him, so he stepped back, telling his dad he needed some air despite the fact that they were on an open playing field. He just needed to get away from the noise.

He made his way to a shaded area underneath a tree, acutely aware that he had just passed Rey, who was busy laughing with her friends and getting photos taken by all their parents.

He had never stopped regretting that day.

The day he didn’t take Rey’s hand faster to seal their friendship.

The questions of what would have happened if he had, lingered. They could have been friends, maybe even fast friends. They could have played together, and continued growing up with each other. They would have sat in the cafeteria eating lunch. They would have studied and joined forces for class projects. They would have gone to parties, concerts, homecoming, and maybe even prom. Maybe he would have gone to a football or basketball game to support Rey and her cheerleading activities.

Rey had gone on to become even prettier than when she was as a kid, and had quickly become very popular. She had a laugh that made you want to know what was funny and join her. An angelic smile that drew you in (it often got her out of trouble too, it seemed). She was a cheerleader; her body was light and nimble enough to send soaring through the air. She had gone to not just one, but two proms, one with an upper senior and to her own. She volunteered at the senior citizen center. She was invited to all the parties and town events. She was quite beloved by all, known for her kindness and good heart.

She had grown from a tiny, cute little munchkin to quite an attractive young woman.

Meanwhile, Ben was still... Ben.

He was still the son of a mayor turned ex-mayor to mayor again. He was a quiet kid, and his solitude seemed to have magnified with age, though Hux and Phasma were still his close friends. The only thing different was that he had sprouted up… quite a bit actually. He was now reaching 6’2”, towering over all his classmates and the adults in Chandrila. He had worked out in his parents’ garage and filled out. His arms and thighs grew, and his chest firmed up. He had grown his hair out; it now reached the bottom of his neck, and his voice had deepened.

Some of the girls caught sight of how he matured, but never Rey. Since he was so shy and not popular (not unpopular but not popular either), he was often only a passing interest to the opposite gender. He was uncoordinated with his long limbs, so sports was never his calling either. He couldn’t dance. He couldn’t act. Instead, he spent most of his days hanging with his friends, gaming, or with his head buried in a book or comic, or watching an indie film.

His reputation as a shy, quiet loner preceded him.

Ben noticed Rey every day at school and around town as they grew up, watching her pass him in the hallway, or listening intently to her answers in the classes they shared.

He could have approached her that day when they were nine, or at any point during their lives—he had all those years to approach her, to become closer to her—but he was unable to. He was too shy in comparison to her carefree and vibrant personality. She was enigmatic to his dullness.

She was everything he wasn’t.

Most avoided him, while others gravitated towards her.

Rey and her friendship remained, as always, so far beyond his reach.

It wasn’t long after he had first met her that he realized he had a crush on her, a crush that lasted his entire childhood, a crush that never waned once. He had tried to get over it, tried to focus on other girls, but he always returned to Rey… because there was truly none like her. None that could even begin to be compared to her.

Now, under the cooler shadowed environment, he flipped through his yearbook, painfully aware of how generic his classmates’ messages were to him.

_Have a great summer, Ben._

_Wish we had hung out more._

_Good luck in college!_

_Keep in touch!_

They were lacking anything personal and genuine. Cordial words that feigned closeness.

Growing up with everyone here, even in this small place, he had nothing to show for it, really. They kept him on the outside all these years, and now that they were literally scattering across the country from each other, they wanted to put false words like K.I.T. for “keep in touch.” They weren’t going to, and would forget him as soon as they left this tiny settlement.

“Ben?”

He lifted his head to the voice.

Rey stood in front of him, bending down at the waist, her hair curled and flowing down like a rushing waterfall around her face. She was wearing a light chiffon baby pink dress that was dotted with little red hearts and white cut-out peep-toe sandals. Her graduation gown was folded in her arms along with her yearbook. Her makeup was natural with just a hint of sparkle on her eyes and glossy lips.

She was… beautiful.

“H-hi Rey,” he managed to get out.

They never really spoke before, only the passing greetings, apologies if they bumped into each other, and forced group assignments which weren’t much to begin with. He couldn’t help but be confused as to why she was talking to him now.

She smiled, extending her yearbook out towards him. “Would you mind signing my yearbook?”

 _Oh, right._ He grabbed it. “Uh, yeah, sure.” He wanted to kick himself; if only he had grabbed her hand that day as fast as he grabbed the yearbook. “Do… Do you want to sign mine?” he asked hesitantly, lifting his own.

“Yeah, of course!” She took it and sat down in front of him with her legs tucked underneath her. She flipped open to an empty section in his yearbook, which was aplenty, and took out a pen. If she noticed the lack of signatures, she was kind enough not to say anything.

He studied her briefly before bringing his attention to her yearbook. He cracked open the cover and immediately took note of how little empty space there was. The pages were filled with long text, all in various inked colors and thicknesses. She was popular indeed.

_Rey, I’m going to miss you so, so much.  
You’re the absolute sweetest and  
I’m so happy to have you as my friend!  
Please don’t ever change!_

_Rey, you’re going to do great things, I just know it!  
Remember that one time we went to that ‘N Sync concert  
and we got totally shit-faced? It was soooo much fun!  
Thanks for holding my hair while I puked._

_Rey, I love you so much! <3  
Here’s my number XXX-XXX-XXXX.  
K.I.T.!_

He lightly chewed on the blue pencap, thinking pensively. What should he write? All these years, all these bottled up feelings he had for her, his regret… He wanted to write a novel, but he couldn’t because there was legitimately no room for it. He had only minutes, maybe even seconds, before she was finished with her message to him. He assumed she would leave him with another generic message.

“Come on, Rey!” Rose shouted a few feet from them. “We’re going to the diner!”

Rey twisted her body towards her friend and held her hand up. “Hold on, one second! I’ll be right there!”

 _Shit_ , Ben thought. He started to sweat out of nervousness. _What do I write? What should I say to her?_

He watched as she capped her pen up and closed his yearbook. _Oh, damn it, damn it_ , he panically thought.

He wrote the only thing that came to his mind, painstakingly writing as neat as possible, using his honed calligraphy skills. He wasn’t sure if she would even know what he meant or if she even remembered that day, but it was the regret that weighed heavily on him throughout all these years. The hesitated decision, or lack of, that affected his life up until now. He could finally get it off his chest and shoulders.

When he was finished, they exchanged the yearbooks and stood up.

She grinned at him and gave him a little wave. “Good luck, Ben!”

“You too,” he replied.

She began to walk away and then stopped. She turned around, calling out to him. “Ben!”

He hoped he didn’t look too surprised when he met her eyes. “Yeah?”

“Where are you going? To college, I mean.”

“Oh, Coruscant University. You?”

She nodded. “I haven’t decided yet.”

He gave her a small smile. “Well, good luck to you, wherever you go. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

And then she walked away.

He sat back down, practically dropping his stupefied weight to the grassy ground, as he watched her disappear off with her friends and then into the crowd. He pondered over what he wrote to her.

_Would she know? Would she remember?_

🤝

Summer had passed quickly. Ben spent the next two months preparing for college. Buying all he needed for dorm life and mentally preparing for the next part of his life. Most of his classmates either went on vacations, left town early to move to their new school, or stayed behind to wrap up their final affairs.

It was August. The weather was a mild temperature similar to that September day all those years ago. It was the first day of college; only orientation. Ben was on edge, sitting in the giant auditorium that was rapidly filling up. He saved two seats for Hux and Phasma (who thankfully joined him in choice of college; Hux said, “Who else is going to be your friend if we don’t go?” and Phasma said, “Who else is going to keep you two in line?”). He took a gander at the door, seeing if they were back yet. They had decided getting coffee just minutes before orientation was about to start was a good idea.

He placed his notebook and pen on the desk, and waited with sweaty hands. He rubbed them against his jeans and pulled at the collar of his cashmere sweater, feeling very warm.

There were a lot of people; all of them with unfamiliar faces. Some seemed to know each other from previously and some sat quietly, like he did.

He wanted to be different in college. He _longed_ to be different. He wanted to be more confident, outgoing, and friendly, even if his innate nature was the opposite. He didn’t want it to be like high school again. Here, no one knew who he was (other than Hux and Phasma), and he could start over. No one knew of his mom, the mayor, and his pirate-like dad. He could finally be that friendly guy who got invited to parties, or maybe even join a fraternity. Maybe he could take up a sport and learn how to act.

He heard the chair beside him creak. “Sorry, I’m saving this seat for some—” he said, looking over at the person before he stopped.

It was Rey!

Ben was more than shocked at seeing her. What is she doing here? He took in her yellow daisy-patterned dress with a leather jacket over it and her black sneakers. Her hair was in that unique three-bun style she sported since she was a kid.

“Would you mind doing me a favor?” She raised her left foot, wiggling it in his view. “Tie my laces?”

Ben's eyes dropped to the loose shoelaces. The right foot was still tied in that strange knot he noticed as a kid.

With shaky hands, he touched her ankle, trying to control his not-so-mild panic at touching her bare skin, and rested her foot on his denim-covered thigh. He grabbed the laces and as he was beginning to cross the ropes over each other, he heard her sing softly.

“Over, under, pull it tight. Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through.”

He looked up at her in embarrassment. She had sung his song. _She remembered it? After all these years?_

Feeling a rush of elation zing throughout his body, he bent forward to grab and rest her other foot on his thigh. He undid her knot and tied it his way as she sang his song once more.

When they were both done, he gently placed her feet back to the shiny waxed ground, gulping nervously.

“Pretty,” she commented with a wink, before leaning forward to observe the perfect knots further. She shifted her feet around, almost dance-like, as if to test them.

He could only stare at her in a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

She leaned back into her seat. “Hi, Ben!” she said cheekily, finally greeting him.

Her eyes were lined in thin black with a small flick at the ends, her lashes dark and full. Her lips were shiny and glossed with bits of shimmer. She was still beautiful.

He swallowed, suddenly feeling very parched. _Where’s that coffee?_ “H-hi, Rey,” he stammered out.

She extended her hand out to him, a light wash of pink on her manicured nails, and gave him a soft smile. “Want to be friends?”

His heart rapidly pounded away as if he had just finished a run. He eyed her hand.

Yes.

Yes.

He should say yes. He should take it.

He quickly grabbed it, engulfing her tinier one in his. “Y-yes!”

He felt her squeeze his hand in acknowledgement. He went to take his hand back, but she kept a firm hold on it, not letting go.

She leaned forward, encroaching in on his personal space. He froze, unsure what to do. She was close enough for him to catch a whiff of her vanilla scent.

She smirked. “Want to be more than friends?”

He stared at her, unsure what to say. Instead, he sputtered unintelligible words at her. Before he could even try to formulate a proper answer in response to her question, which he still wasn’t quite sure what she was asking of him, he noticed Finn and Rose appearing in the row behind them.

Rose took a seat. “Hey, Rey! Oh, hey, Ben!”

Finn spoke next. “Hey, Ben. Didn’t know you were going here too.”

Rose nodded, her eyes dropping down to their still connected hands. “Yeah, I didn’t know you guys knew each other...”

Rey kept her eyes on Ben, ignoring her two friends, and pulled him a little towards her. “So what’s your answer?”

Ben shifted his eyes from her friends back to her. _What is she asking?_ He went with what seemed like a good idea. “Yes?”

It appeared to be the right answer when Rey’s lips stretched across her face, her white teeth shining back at him. She tilted her head as she laced her fingers with his, giving him another firm squeeze.

She turned to Rose, still grinning. “We’re dating.”

Her friends sputtered, exclaiming “What?!” and “Since when?”

Ben blinked at her, unsure if this was a dream or not, but her hand felt so warm and real in his. It couldn’t have been a prank; Rey would never do that.

She shifted her head towards him and whispered, “But you have to tie my shoelaces from now on.”

As he looked at her, radiant in all her beauty, her eyes filled with hope, he squeezed her hand back and smiled with a gentle nod.

He would tie her shoelaces forever if she allowed him.

He knew this year and the rest of his future was going to be different.

He wasn’t going to hold back anymore.

No more regrets.

❤️

  
**  
_Two Months Earlier._   
**  


Rey began to walk away with her yearbook firmly in her hands. She had gotten Ben’s signature. He was the only one that hadn’t signed it yet and she wanted to get everyone’s.

She cracked open the book, scanning the inner and back cover pages for what he wrote.

There it was, tucked away in the bottom corner of the back cover page, in a neat handwritten script.

He had written:

_Rey, I wish I had taken your hand that day.  
\- Ben Solo._

Her chest constricted at the message as she blushed. It was such a simple line, yet it said so much. Filled with anxiousness, she bit her bottom lip. She took in a deep breath, trying to gather up bits of bravery, before finally turning around, finding him still standing under the shade. “Ben!” 

“Yeah?” he replied.

“Where are you going? To college, I mean,” she asked.

“Oh, Coruscant University. You?”

She smiled. “I haven’t decided yet.”

But she had.

She decided right then and there she was going to go to the same university as Ben Solo.

Because she regretted not taking Ben’s hand faster that day.

Because she regretted allowing herself to be dragged away by Rose.

Because she regretted not talking to him in all the years they’ve known each other.

Because she regretted not telling him just how much she liked him and how she had a crush on him ever since that day he tied her shoelaces.

No more regrets.

❤️❤️

In Ben’s yearbook, Rey had written:

_Ben, I wish I had stayed that day.  
\- Rey Niima._

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always very appreciated. ❤️
> 
> Come find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/reveriemou)! I thirst-post a lot about Reylo and AD/DR!


End file.
